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About

Kensei leads samurai army to defeat Oni of Tottori. Two samurai begin arguing over the ownership of the Sword of Oni, each claiming the right to the sword since each killed thirty-seven men in battle. Kensei tells the two samurai that they bicker like children; their individual accomplishments don't matter, and all that matters is Japan as a whole. Kensei snaps the sword's blade in half and gives them each one half as a reminder of how their pride had damaged their honor.

Notes

The story of splitting an object in half to teach a lesson to arguing parties is borrowed from the Bible tale of King Solomon. Solomon threatened to slice a child in half to settle a dispute between two mothers who both laid claim to the child. (In the story, the child remained unharmed.)

After her father's death, Kimiko used the story of the Sword of Oni to settle a workplace dispute. Both Jiro and Taro claimed they deserved a PDA. Kimiko, angered by their pride, sliced the electronic device in half and gave them each their share.

Trivia

Oni are fictional creatures from Japanese mythology. They are usually depicted as demons or devils, but are also sometimes translated as ogres or trolls.